Three way or multipole incandescent lamps are conventionally operated must be passed sequentially through a series of three degrees of light intensity before the circuit can be broken to turn the lamp off. There are a variety of disadvantages to this type of operation, for example, when a three way lamp is used as a bed lamp, and the low light intensity is used for reading so as not to disturb a sleeping bed partner, it must be operated through the medium and high intensities before it can be turned off, generally resulting in the awakening of the bed partner by the creation of the sudden sequential increase of light intensity. Additionally, it is more practical and simple to push a single switch actuator to obtain a desired degree of illumination and a second switch actuator to turn the lamp off than to run through a sequence of four switching operations everytime the three way lamp is operated from "off" to "on" and back "off".
The switch and electric conductor arrangement to a conventional multifilament lamp as provided by the present invention permits a selected light intensity operation of the lamp by the manipulation of one of three switch actuators and an operation back to an "off" position by the manipulation of one single switch actuator regardless of which of the three "on" switch actuators was manipulated. However, the light intensity may be selectively varied at any time by the operation of another one of the three "on" switch actuators.
Therefore, one of the principal objects of the present invention is to provide remote control means comprised of three "on" switches for selective operation of a multifilament incandescent lamp and a single "off" switch to break the circuit completed by operation of any one of the three "on" switches.
Another object of the invention is to provide means to interconnect the three "on" switches whereby manipulation of a second of the "on" switches to an "on" position automatically breaks the circuit completed by the operation of a first "on" switch and returns the first switch to an "off" position.
A further object of the invention is to provide means to prevent the operation of more than one "on" switch to an "on" position at one time.
A still further object of the invention is to provide electric circuit means directly from the source of electricity to the remote control switches and to the filaments in a multifilament lamp in a manner so as to selectively produce three individual light intensities as determined by the selective operation of the three "on" switches.
Yet another principal object of the present invention is to provide remote control switch means for a multifilament lamp which is very simple in construction and very inexpensive to manufacture.